The Portland daily press., 1887-09-21
Improbable and uncomfortable ,,


To the Editor Of the Press:
am very glad indeed Of the opportunity
afforded me, kindly, by the PRESS to lay out
before the people, our view of what the law
should be, to suppress the liquor traffic
promptly and thoroughly. 1t is time as the
PRESS says, that the law as it now is, would
suppress the grog shops by constant and
vigilant work, if all its officials were honest
men in the discharge OF their duty. But as
the law is, the rum shops would spring up
again as soon as the vigilance of the officers
even If honest-should be relaxed.
Liquor Is not sold in violation of law for
the fun of 1t, but for the profit of it, The
number Of grog shops in the city has not
been diminished by even one in the last ten
years, and that is conclusive proof that some
how. there is yet profit in the trade, and
somehow, the discomfort of it is not such as
to discourage those who persist in it. If the
last Legislature had conceded TO us the lepis-
lation we asked for, there would not be even
one such place in the city to-day. What is
us such legislation as we desire, if the pur.
pose really is honestly to suppress the LIQUOR
traffic In Maine.
What would be thought of carpenter who
should employ hammer that would require
a dozen blows to drive a nail home. when
with suitable tool he could do 1t with two
blows or even with one. What would be
thought of him, II he should employ shing-
ling hatchet In hewing squared timber from
the trunks OF oak trees? What would be
tnougnt OF men going out to hunt a danger
Gus, animal with no other projectiles than
bird shot? Could not they kill him with
that? Yes, in time il they would keen mn n
protracted fusillade. Men of common sense
would employ in such an expedition, rifles
ana exptoslble balls II they could obtain them.
=, Inc omcers OF the law are not faithful in
the execution Of the statute against the grog
shops, as all the world knows What then ?
80 arrange the law as to make it uncomfort-
able, and Improbable to those who violate
or shirk their duty, and that can easily be
done. 1t Is true, as the PRESS says, that
large quantities Of liquor are seized and
poured out In the course of the year and that
considerable sums Of money in fines are paid
into court, and that some rumsellers are i'm
prisoned but yet the liquor continues to come
in and to be sold, which is conclusive proof
that there is yet money in the trade" The
PRESS of to-day, Monday, contains this para
graph:
There has been good deal of beer seized by
sylvester and Eaton made large seizure from
the cars; officers Warren and Bracket seized III
bottles of lager beer from Mr. Finch and barrels
OF beer were got from Mrs. Flaherty"
Wv, al TINS mas pceu gong ON since June,
1875, as much then as now, as much now as
then. Everybody can see that this is absurd.
IL the intention really is to stop the liouor
trade entirely. There was defiant rnmsel-
Ter here who had been convicted As times,
and yet he kept open shop. / took his case
in hand myself and in six months drove lin
out OF the trade. His brother took his place
and In six months more, drove him out.
Then his brother-in-law comes in and in six
months more drove him out, and now the
nv q 20
this occupied long time ana much hard
work to accomplish. Is not this absurd. if
the honest purpose is to suppress the grog
shops? 1t Is perfectly easy 50 to arrange the
law that Inc nrst blow will send the nail
home. Where Is the honest temperance man
who objects to that?
we temperance men propose our plan for
doing it. It'll no project of perpetual motion
nor OF Keely's motor, but plain, common
sense proposal to employ hammer that will
drive the nail nome promptly; to employ a
good, sharp broad-axe and not shingling
Ratchet to hew the trunks of oak trees to
use rifles and explosive balls, not bird shot.
in hunting tigers; that's all Of it,
The PRESS says, and l believe truly:
'And for these offenses he (the rumseller) must
go to Jail for several months There is no discre-
ton In the court He must go to jail"
Yes, that seems to be the law as read it,
but what are the facts? They do not go to
Jail, nor pay the fines as the law positively
commands. 1t seems to me to be hocus-
pocus, but probably it is all fair and honest,
because we have no respectable court that
would deliberately and persistently nullify
the law.
On the Liquor Docket for the September
Term W 1880, there were 30S cases undisposed
oL. Inc list begins with eight cases against
tne same man, marked mot to be brought
Il,o9ar f without special order of court"
T., nas Is 70 say, this man was pardoned, not
49, ~ .ne governor, but by the Court, which
says In effect that the man shall not nav and
s snal mot go to jail as the law peremptory
Continued" MANY of these c meie n S;a
pear from iron the docket by and by. There ' IS
PROBABLY some law authorizing this mode Of
where It is to be found have ali Hn nv
Liquor Dockets for this country since The
law required them to be published. and thew
show an extraordinary method of dealing
with the liquor-selling crime. All Of these
dockets are OF the same general character,
and they will be interesting reading by and
by. and will occupy prominent place some
day in History Of the Maine Law, as show |